


takes two to tango

by iffiness



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Find out next time, Gen, Multi, Mystery, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Oblivious Steve Rogers, Or is he a parent???, Other, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tony Stark Has A Heart, how do i tag for this, sort of team cap friendly, steve is stubborn not stupid, whatever here we go, who is this new stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 14:10:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15245097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iffiness/pseuds/iffiness
Summary: The rogues are coming back to America, pardoned and ready to get back to business, but their new liaison is totally unexpected. She's a mystery, but as far as Steve is concerned? He'll deal with it. It could definitely be worse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this idea hit me out of nowhere and I am probably gonna blow the "mystery" part of this within the next two parts but whatever, it is what it is. vague ideas for what is happening here. it's just one of those things like, i got the idea? i wrote the idea. here it is. the tony/stephen combo will be more apparent next chapter, and will be a slow lead more than likely? anyway. enjoy y'all. 
> 
> also, i don't really have a beta reader? but if anyone would like to assist I am all for it just like reach out and we can work things out into a beautifully mutual relationship

It took nearly eight months, but by the time the pardons came rolling in the Rogue Avengers were more than ready to go home. As it turned out, a life on the run from the law while also trying to fight the various crimes occurring across the globe was both costly and exhausting. Finally flying home to the compound was like the weight of the world was being lifted from their shoulders and they could finally breathe again.

 

Steve felt like he was more relieved than the others combined. Sure, it had been taxing on them all, but he was their leader. He was supposed to be taking care of them, and he was more than capable of that back when Tony was his co-lead. Objectively he could look back and count the mistakes he’d made, everything that led up to the fight in Siberia. He wasn’t blind to his own faults. It was Tony who’d been blinded. He’d seen nothing but that Zemo had laid out for them; he’d tried to kill Bucky regardless of his innocence. Just thinking about the fight, about watching Bucky’s arm get blasted off, was still enough to get Steve’s blood pumping in anger. He wasn’t sure he could quite forgive Tony for trying to kill his best friend, but he’d do his best to make amends enough for the sake of the team. They needed him to step up and bite the bullet for them. He’d spent a long time discussing it with Clint and Sam, and it was the best option available to them. They needed the resources, and Iron Man was a valuable asset on the field.

 

He was less sure about all the new faces he’d seen Tony recruiting on the news, but he was confident that once he got to speak with him that Tony would understand why he couldn’t just go around adding anyone with powers to the roster. Steve himself would have to go over their files, and he’d maybe get Natasha to help him pick out if there were any good ones they could train. The only issue he could foresee would be having to undo whatever Tony had done so far, but it hadn’t been long enough for real damage to start. Steve was confident he could save them before Tony’s influence really got to their heads.

 

He was shaken from his reverie as the quinjet they were in started descending, and a quick glance around at the others ensured they’d noticed as well and were preparing to disembark. When the jet finally settled, and the door slowly descended it was like a breath of the freshest air, and he led the team out with a smile on his face.

 

There was, as expected, a group of individuals waiting for them on the tarmac. A quick glance over them had his smile falling somewhat, as Tony wasn’t with them, but he wasn’t expecting him to be either. It would take some time to get the inventor to interact with them again, and Steve already knew he’d have to be the first to give a little. That was Tony 101, after all. The man was entitled, and you had to appeal to that to get through to him.

 

The young woman who had been speaking quietly to Rhodes was the first to break off from the assembled group, and she was a definite looker by Steve’s standards. She had a head full of deep brown curls that stopped just beneath her shoulders and had just the right amount of red shining through it from the sunlight beating down on them, and the sight of it alone had him itching for his pencils to try to catch that color on paper. Her skin was a lovely golden olive and he was sure that if he could get close enough he’d find a light dusting of freckles. Her face was soft but had features that were definitely sharper than others. Her cheekbones were prominently high, her jawline and chin strong, but her nose was soft and her lips full. She was dressed up in a tight pantsuit that reminded him of Miss Potts, but where Potts preferred lighter colors this woman had gone all out with a black on gold combination. She had her eyes covered with a pair of sunglasses, which he loathed as much as he understood the need for them with the summer sun beating down on them, but he had hoped to catch a glimpse of the color of her eyes to complete the picture.

 

She came to a stop a polite distance in front of them, took a moment to look over each of them before nodding to herself, and tucked the tablet she’d been carrying under one arm to extend a hand out to Steve. “Captain Rogers,” she greeted as he accepted the shake, and he was momentarily distracted by how deceptively strong her grip was. “My name is Ella. I’m your liaison between your team, the Accords, and the other Avengers teams. We’re going to be working closely together for a few days here while we catch you guys up to speed.” She was smiling at him, but he’d been around people who could fake it with the best of them long enough to not realize it was as plastic as the glasses over her eyes. Not that he could blame her. Her position wasn’t one to be envied, considering all the issues they had with the Accords and the things that Steve needed to get done to set the Avengers back to rights.

 

“No last name, Ella?” Clint spoke up from beside him, having stepped up along with the others after the brief introduction. Steve was glad the archer had caught that because he definitely hadn’t been thinking about that at all.

 

The smile on Ella’s lips never fell, but it did twitch in a telling way. “Not only am I not sure you’d believe me if I told you, Agent Barton, but I fear it would be inconducive to the partnership required of us here.”

 

Steve frowned at that. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we can’t work with someone who refuses to give their full name.”

 

A sigh slipped past her lips and the polite smile she’d worn up until now slowly fell off her face. “Well, at least I did warn you,” she murmured, though he wasn’t sure if it was for herself or them to hear. She reached up with the hand he’d shaken and pushed the sunglasses up onto her head, revealing a pair of painfully familiar brown eyes. “My name is Maria Antonella Stark. I prefer Ella. If you have problems with that I can get the forms and walk you through the process to appeal to the Council about my position. I’m the best option for this job, but no one is forcing you to work with me if you’re uncomfortable.”

 

“Stark?” Wanda was the first of them to find her words again, and she took a step forward next to Steve and closer to Ella, red sparks barely lighting up her hands.

 

Steve placed a calming hand on her shoulder before she could say anything else, already wary of setting a good first impression. Sure, this was… unexpected. This definitely threw a wrench into everything he had been planning, but if Wanda did or said anything now it could ruin any chances they had at making things normal again. “I don’t understand,” Steve offered Ella a smile he hoped expressed both his confusion and sincerity, “I thought Tony…”

 

She returned his smile, which he counted as a plus, and she didn’t seem to be enjoying the turn of conversation any more than he was. “Anthony Stark is my father. I’m afraid that’s all I can say at this time. Stark Industries has an official press release slated for the end of the week, and more information will be made available at that time.”  She paused only for a moment, apparently letting them take in the stunning news before she shrugged. “Like I said, I understand if this makes you uncomfortable, but I _am_ the best option for you guys. I have several degrees in international politics, along with an intimate knowledge of how the Avengers operate, both in the past and currently, and I have several personal connections that I hope to use to smooth the process even further for your reintegration. I’m also able to put together a list of suitable candidates that could potentially perform this job, but I cannot guarantee the Council will agree with your choice or that the person you choose will be as capable as myself.”

 

Steve was proud of himself for having heard all of that through the shock of her revelation. She seemed to be honest, earnest in a way that he never associated with Tony, but it was just… he was caught off guard. “Could you… give us a moment, please, Miss Stark? We’ll need to discuss this.” Because yeah, looking at her knowing what he knows now? He can clearly see the relation. He didn’t need her to clarify it any further. He just wasn’t sure how the others felt, or even what this could mean for them.

 

She seemed to want to agree with his request immediately, mouth opening but closing again just as quickly as she pulled up her tablet to check something on the screen. Whatever she saw had her rolling her eyes, but when she looked back at them she was nodding. “Yeah, we can work the schedule around to get you guys fifteen minutes. We’re definitely running on a tight schedule today but considering what I just dropped on y’all I figure it’s only polite to give you time to process it. Follow me, I’ll show you guys to a meeting room you can use. Unless you’d prefer to stay out in the heat?”

 

The glare she tossed skyward was obviously exaggerated dramatics, but Steve smiled nonetheless. “Yes, thank you.” She nodded to him and turned to lead them back toward the compound, the tablet coming back up for her to poke at as they walked. He had to keep holding a hand up to silence Clint every time he looked like he was going to say something, but otherwise the walk was an uneventful transition into a closed door, air-conditioned room with a long wooden table. Ella left them with a smile and a reminder of the fifteen-minute limit, and as soon as the door latched shut it was like a grenade went off as everyone spoke at once.  
             

  “Okay, what the fuck?” Clint bit out as he aggressively took a seat in one of the posh chairs, “Stark doesn’t _have_ children. We’d have known if he did.” Wanda took a seat by him and said nothing, but it was clear that she was just as upset as the archer.

 

“I dunno, man, Stark was always pretty private, right?” Sam spoke up as he took a seat himself, always trying to be the voice of reason.

 

“Private enough to hide the existence of an adult child from some of the best spies in the world?” Natasha drawled out, and though she sounded suspicious it seemed like she was at least thinking it through. She was probably going through everything she had on Tony if Steve had to guess.

 

“Why does it matter that Stark’s got a kid?” Scott asked as he took one of the open seats, and it was painfully obvious in his question just how little he knew Tony. Which was Tony’s own fault, really. Scott was a good man, and it was just unfortunate timing that they’d found him during all that Accords business. “I mean, sure, I feel bad for her, but it’s not like it’s impossible. Stark’s used to have someone new in his bed every other night. It was bound to happen eventually.”

 

Steve couldn’t deny that logic, taking the seat at the head of the table. From what he’d read about Tony’s younger years he was nothing more than a glamorous playboy. “She looks too much like him to not be his kid, and besides,” Steve was gratified when all the grumbling stopped to pay attention to him, already feeling more like the team was getting back on track. “That’s not what’s important right now. We need to decide if we trust her to have our best interests in mind. I mean, things are tough with Tony right now, but maybe this is his way of extending an olive branch? Trusting us with his daughter seems like a pretty big thing.”

 

“Always the optimist,” Natasha’s voice sounded accusing, but he could see the amusement in her eyes. “It’s possible. Everything she said came off as honesty, but the fact remains that she’s an unknown. None of us even knew Stark had a kid, let alone that the kid was old enough to already have several degrees.”

 

“Stark got into MIT at fifteen, didn’t he?” Scott pointed out, which gained a few assenting murmurs from the others. “Probably not that surprising his kid’s just as quick then.”

 

“Yeah, but is he trusting us with her or is he trusting her with us? Cuz Stark’s the type to want as much control as he can get, and what better than to get his own kid on the inside? She’s probably just gonna feed him information. And I’m still not convinced she’s even his kid. I’m telling you, we’d have known if he had a kid laying low somewhere.”

 

Clint was making good points and Nat’s affirming hum proved that, but Steve was still… hopeful.  Sure, he’d be watching out for all the things they brought up and more, but they really needed this to work. And if being nice to Tony’s kid could get them closer to Tony faster? Then he wasn’t about to throw away that opportunity. “Yeah, I can’t exactly look the other way on that either, and when we get to talk to Tony I’ll bring it up that he should’ve told us, but c’mon guys. This is an opportunity here. We’ll keep a close eye on what she does when she’s with us, put on a friendly face, and get through all this red tape as fast as we can. She seems confident she can help us, and if everything she said is true she’s highly competent to boot. I say we give it a try.”

 

None of the others seemed to hate the idea of it so much as they were just cautious, and Steve could understand. It was highly likely that Ella was meant to be some sort of spy just as much as she was supposed to help them, but if they went into it already knowing what was going on? They could control the information. At least they weren’t operating with an entire unknown. All of them were an expert in Starks by now, after all.

 

A knock on the door followed by it opened just enough for Ella to poke her head in came not long after, meaning they’d apparently come to a decision just in time. “Time’s up, guys,” she sounded apologetic as she shuffled inside further, being trailed by Rhodes and a couple of other unknowns in suits. “What’d we decide?”

 

The question was directed to all of them, but Steve knew his team and knew they’d want him to speak for them. “Obviously we’ve got questions, ma’am, and a few concerns. But we can wait until after that press conference you mentioned,” he added on quickly, when it looked like Ella was going to object, “I see no reason we can’t work with you, but obviously it’s going to take some time to trust you’ve really got our best interests at heart.” He ducked his head with a small smile, knowing it made him look a little more abashed than normal. He’d been told more than once his old-fashioned charm could work wonders.

 

“Of course. That’s understandable,” Ella smiled back at him, taking a seat at the other end of the table. “You already know Rhodes, of course. This is Mr. Franklin Nelson, and his assistant Ms. Karen Page. They’ll be able to help with the legalese if anything confuses you.” The others with her sat near her, and the two in suits passed Starkpads down the line to each of the Avengers. “Alright, guys. I can’t earn your trust in a day, but I can get us started on the path toward it. The pads have the full Accords document already downloaded, and you’ll be expected to follow them, considering your signatures are now on them. I’m not naïve enough to think you’ve already read them in their entirety, but that’s the end goal. Today we’re going to hit all the important parts that you’ll need in order to avoid any trouble going forward.”

 

It was a long couple of hours of having the Accords explained to them, with a lot of back and forth on a few issues, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as what Steve had feared. Rhodes was the worst, but Steve had been pleasantly surprised by how easily the younger Stark had been able to quieten him when he said something a little too biting. She was just as capable of turning that around on his team too, which was respectable considering how livid Clint had been when they’d explained the situation with his wife and kids. It was yet another problem for them to fix, since Laura had apparently filed for _divorce_ of all things, but overall Steve was feeling good about it.

 

He was currently following just behind Ella as she led them to the renovated living quarters in the compound, the team just behind him. None of them were really in the mood for talking after having done so much of it over the past few hours, but it was a companionable silence overall. In fact, he was just thinking about how the older Stark would’ve never lasted in such a prolonged silence without ruining it when a sudden noise from just up the hall got his attention. Ella had noticed it too apparently and stopped walking, leaving him to have to side step to avoid walking into her back.

 

“Mia bambina!” A familiar voice called out, followed shortly by none other than Tony Stark coming out of one of the rooms in the hall. He was dressed to the nines, but of course, he was wearing a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. They looked surprisingly similar to the ones that still rested on top of Ella’s head. He came all the way to them and wrapped an arm around Ella’s shoulders, one of his biggest press smiles on his face as he took the momentary silence to look over the team.  

 

“Papá,” Ella greeted, and she leaned into the hug and rolled her eyes at the same time. “Didn’t we agree that you’d stay away for the first day?”

 

“Did we?” Tony’s voice was mockingly thoughtful, as if he was really trying to remember if they had talked about it or not. “Well, you do keep reminding me of how old I am. Must be the forgetfulness that comes with age.”

 

“I’m so sure,” Ella drawled, and for the first time and probably not the last, she sounded exactly like her father. “If this is what I have to look forward to in twenty years I think I might just check out early.”

 

Tony’s gasp was dramatic and scandalized as he placed a hand to his chest, taking a step away from Ella as he did. “Watch out for this one,” he said as he turned his attention to the team he’d thus far ignored, “She’s liable to stab you right where it hurts.”

 

Steve, unwilling to ruin whatever good mood Tony was in, smiled and extended a hand to Tony. “I’ll keep that in mind. It’s good to see you, Tony.” The engineer’s smile was tight, but there, as he reached out to shake his hand. It lasted a fraction of the time Steve had expected it to, but that was okay. They had time to work on things like that. 

 

“Can’t say the same,” Tony informed him as he pulled his hand back, leaving Steve hanging dumbfoundedly as the other man began walking back toward where he’d come from. “I’ll leave you kids to it. Don’t forget that—”

 

“That we have a standing date in your workshop this afternoon, yes, I remember,” Ella finished for him, and Tony’s grin was the closest to a real expression the man had worn since he came out into the hall. He gave a two fingered salute before shutting the door behind him to the room he was in, and Ella shook her head before turning back around to them. “Sorry, guys. I tried to convince him not to, but… well, you know how he gets. There was no way he was gonna get anything done unless he came out here. C’mon, we’re almost to your wing.”

 

Ella had already turned back around and began to walk again, so Steve had to jog a couple of steps to catch up to her. “He isn’t going to make this easy, is he?” he asked conversationally, trying to pick up on the thread of exasperated fondness he’d caught in her voice.

 

She glanced his way briefly, apparently saw nothing outright hostile on his face, and shrugged a shoulder indifferently. “He’s not got anything to do with your reintegration, education, or team, so I’m not sure what you think he’s trying to be difficult about.”

 

“But he _is_ a part of the team,” Steve insisted, his brows furrowed. “He’s an Avenger.”

 

Ella was nodding along before Steve even finished speaking, though she wasn’t smiling any longer. “You’re half-right. He’s still an Avenger, but he isn’t on your team. He’s on Danvers’ team now.”

 

That was news to Steve. Not having Iron Man in the skies for the past few months had been hard on them, and he’d been looking forward to having him back. “That makes no sense. We already work well as a team, why would he—”

 

“Mr. Stark would disagree with you,” Ella cut him of promptly, stopping outside of a door that Steve could see was labeled as the hallway to their quarters. “Please don’t push that issue. It’s literally on the bottom of the list of things you should be worrying about. He’d be well within his rights to file for a restraining order against all of you, but he refused to do that. So, because he didn’t do that you get to live here on the property. I’d recommend taking what you have now and just not bothering him off the field, okay?”

 

Steve would’ve actually pushed that issue despite the warning not to, but the feeling of a small hand on his elbow reeled him back in. They’d definitely discuss it later, but if Nat was grabbing onto him it meant it probably wasn’t a good idea to push right now. He trusted Nat to read the lay of the land for him, so he bit off what he was going to say and pushed for a smile instead. Besides, he was trying to foster something positive here with Ella. “Of course. Will that be all for the day, Ms. Stark?”

 

A small, delighted grin lit across Ella’s lips at his words, like there was some sort of joke that she got that he didn’t. “That will be all, Mr. Rogers,” she replied, lips still upturned as she scanned the badge hanging off her hip to open the door for them. “Have a good night. I’ll see you all bright and early for more exciting legal talk in the morning.”

 

And that was that, it seemed. The Stark they never knew existed turned and walked the other way, leaving them to enter their new quarters and discuss the day’s events. Not immediately of course, because they’d spend the day either traveling or in a meeting, so everyone broke apart to shower or nap.

 

Meanwhile, in the labs a few levels down in the compound, Tony and Ella Stark were happily chatting and working. The fabrication units were busy in the background, churning out the pieces the duo had just finished designing, and Ella took the opportunity to push back from the workbench they’d been bent over together with a flourish.

 

“You weren’t kidding about how fucking exhausting they are,” she lamented as she poked a socked foot into Tony’s thigh that he immediately batted away. “And they were super suspicious of like… everything.”

 

“There’s no way they figured it out that fast,” Tony mumbled out around the stylus in between his teeth, his hands busily manipulating a hologram in front of him.

 

“’Course not,” she replied with a roll of her eyes, “It’s still weird to me. There’s no way they’ll figure out what’s going on unless we tell them. Unless you keep laying it on thick with all the _mia bambina_ talk, _pap_ _á_.”

 

Tony’s snort was anything but dignified. “Oh, c’mon, like you weren’t throwing it just as heavy at me. _Twenty years_ older than you, really? You want them to think I was out impregnating people when I was _twenty_?”  

 

“You were all for the idea when Potts was the one behind it,” Ella pointed out, grinning traitorously when Tony turned to glare at her. “The Council liked it. And Rhodey approved it too. That’s how we know it’s a good plan. When has that platypus ever led us wrong?”

 

Tony shrugged his assent to her words, tossing the stylus haphazardly onto the workbench. “Yeah, I guess so. Still, this is gonna burn at them, especially Romanov and Barton, until they get it figured out. The press conference is gonna leave them with more questions than answers.”

 

She sighed dramatically, drooping back across her seat. “Them and the rest of the world. But we need more time to figure it out, so we gotta suck it up.”

 

“Guess we do.” Tony smiled as he stood up, offering a hand out to her to help pull her to her feet. “C’mon, kiddo, we’ve got dinner reservations with a wizard. Who knows what he’ll turn us into if we’re late.”

 

She snorted out a laugh as she took his hand and stood up, toeing her shoes back on as she did. “Oh, God, don’t even joke about that. He might hear us with his voodoo and actually do it.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was like Murphy’s Law on steroids just by virtue of the two of them existing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i know in last chap i was all like oooo strange incoming BUT no that was not how this worked out. definitely strange in ch. 3, so expect some of that sweet ironstrange ship incoming. for noooow enjoy this. i know it's written from a weird angle out of steve for most of it, but i love how steve is so brilliantly smart but also just so naive and optimistic, yknow? he's the best fit for what i'm doing for the moment 
> 
> also, i'm loving these comments lmao y'all are the best. there have been a bunch of guesses as to the mystery Stark and I am doing my best to hold on to the real answer as long as I can ;)

The next few days, in Steve’s opinion, went by surprisingly okay. They had to sit in on a lot of meetings with Ella, Rhodes, Nelson, and Page, but overall it wasn’t near as bad as it could’ve been. He could only imagine how bad it would be if Tony was the one leading the meetings and working on their reintegration back into the fray.

 

He only had two major concerns by the time Friday came around (outside of the Accords, in which he had suggested numerous edits to the documents only to be told, in no certain terms, that they would look into it but couldn’t guarantee anything). The first concern was the fact that until further notice he and his team were benched, barring any outstanding circumstances that required extra hands on the field. The second concern was that Ella was outstanding at fielding the questions by both Clint and Natasha, who had taken it upon themselves to try to extricate as much information from the younger Stark as possible. They’d all discussed it that first day at dinner, once they’d all rested up, and decided that playing along with Ella would be better than fighting against her for now at least. Natasha in particular had a point in that if they could get one Stark on their side the other was sure to follow, so Steve was willing to allow the two spies to turn Ella around.

 

He’d been shocked when Natasha had gotten back to him on the second day to inform him that Ella was just as skilled as Tony always had been at deflecting away from anything she didn’t want to answer. They’d had a very lengthy discussion after that, wondering just how much interaction father and daughter had over the years, but with no other information to go off? They could only speculate. He trusted Natasha’s judgment on the situation, so the best they could figure was that Tony had actually been _very_ present in Ella’s life. Their mannerisms were frighteningly similar, though with a few major differences (such as the fact that on more than one occasion he’d seen Ella actually eating raw vegetables), and the way they spoke was almost identical. More times than he could count had Ella gone off on a tangent in their meetings, her hands flopping around in a way that he now just called “Stark”, and it was so close to what Tony had always done that Steve found himself growing strangely fond of it. He’d considered Tony one of his best friends, after all, and had hopes of getting back to that point with the inventor once their differences could be set aside.

 

Today was their first day off all week, but Steve wasn’t naïve enough to pretend that it was for their benefit. The press conference at SI was today, and since Ella was required to be there they couldn’t hold a meeting today. The entire team had slowly began to congregate into the living area as the conference time grew closer, all of them curious about the young woman who had taken charge of everything to do with them since they’d returned. Natasha and Clint were still suspicious of the entire thing, he could tell, but he was willing to just take a step back and let them work through it. He had yet to ask just how far they’d gone in their searches for information, but with any hope whatever they released today would help ease some of the confusion they’d been feeling. If not then they could just start asking Ella straight out more questions. They’d been more than patient and generous in letting this go on for several days now, and it wouldn’t be too much to ask for some answers at their next meeting.

 

“I bet there’ll be all the information we could ever want on the net after they announce this to the world,” Clint grumbled from the loveseat adjacent to Steve’s chair, Natasha curled up beside of him. “We couldn’t find anything, but that figures, right? They’ve kept it on the downlow so long that I’m surprised Stark Sr even agreed to let it out now.”

 

Beside him Natasha shrugged, and that was the only sign she’d heard him at all. She had her phone out, tapping away at the screen, and if Steve had to wager a guess she was on social media trying to get more information from the rumors that had been going around about the announcement.

 

“Y’all still can’t find anything about Stark having a kid anywhere?” Sam asked from across the loveseat on the couch, spread out against one of the arms with Wanda on the other end. “What if it isn’t actually his kid? Maybe she’s an AI he popped into a body like the Vision.”

 

“You’ve been watching too much T.V.,” Steve informed him, shaking his head at the idea. It sounded like it was straight out of a dime store novel.

 

“No, that’s a feasible idea,” Natasha spoke up as she sat her phone down, a single brow raised. “It’s a little out there, but this is Stark we’re talking about. He wouldn’t think twice about the moral repercussions of something like that once he got the idea in his head.”

 

“Great. Just what we need, another Ultron,” Clint’s mumble was almost a growl, but it loud enough that it carried to everyone else in the room.

 

“No,” Wanda’s quiet voice spoke up from where she’d been playing on a tablet listening to them, “She is a human, I can feel it when we are near one another. Like I do with all of you.”

 

Steve would’ve added more to that train of thought to really set it to rights and keep his team from making even crazier ideas up, but on the image on the TV switched to one of Stark Tower and he was distracted by fumbling with the remote to unmute it. The beginning was the same as it usually was, with a reporter going through a segment of a rundown of SI, Tony, Pepper, and the various new tech they were coming out with soon. Steve had never been sure why they always did that, it wasn’t like people didn’t know what SI was or the people behind it, but it was over soon enough and the image on screen was taken over by a generic stage in the lobby of the building.

 

Pepper Potts was the first to come on stage, wearing a smart outfit with a knee length skirt and a generic smile on her face. Steve’s attention waned as Potts talked about the current stock prices and upcoming projects, but when she announced Tony to the stage he was watching avidly again. He was dressed up in one of his bespoke three-piece suits, obviously fitted perfectly to his body, with the same pair of glasses on his face that Steve had seen him wearing the first day they’d come back to the compound. He looked good, healthy even, and Steve was both happy for him and jealous all at once. Steve felt like he was walking around with two lost limbs, knowing that Bucky was in cryo in Wakanda without him and that Tony would rather chew off his own arm than talk to Steve right now.

 

“So,” Tony was saying on screen as he took the pedestal, positioning the mic closer to his mouth level, “Been a while since I’ve done one of these, but you guys know how it is. It’s busy being me.” The grin on his face looked real, and the crowd of reporters chuckled gamely in response to what was apparently supposed to be some sort of joke. Maybe it was, but Steve didn’t get it. “Anyway, I’m not here to talk about the next Starkphone—I know, I know. You guys want it. It’s coming, trust me. But I’ve got something way better than a phone to show off today.”

 

He waved an arm toward the area of the stage where he had entered from, and that was apparently Ella’s cue because she emerged from behind the curtain and stepped up the stairs and made her way to his side. She looked just as dressed up as Tony, with a suit that was probably just as expensive and fit just as closely to her body. Actually… Steve rolled his eyes when he realized that they _matched_. They were wearing the exact same suit, just made differently to make up for the difference in gender.

 

Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she stopped just beside him, and the smile they shared with one another was probably the most real emotion Steve had seen on them since they emerged from behind the stage. They were clearly amused with what they were doing. “Without any further ado, allow me to introduce my daughter: Ella Stark.”

 

And the crowd went _wild_. They utterly and absolutely lost their collective minds as cameras flashed nonstop for a solid minute, the reporters each trying to scream their questions over one another, and the Starks weathered the new onslaught above them on the stage with a smile. There was no way they weren’t being deafened by the noise if even Steve was annoyed by it through just the television, but they simply stood there waiting until the crowd started to get itself under control. Apparently the silence from the two of them was enough to make those gathered realize they weren’t going to get anything at all with that kind of behavior.

 

Tony took a small step to the side of the podium holding the mic he’d been using to allow Ella room to use it, but he didn’t move much further from her. For her part, Ella looked completely put together and looked like she honestly wasn’t bothered by what was happening. Steve had to hand it to her—she was doing this a lot better than he did with his first press conference with Tony. He’d been doe-eyed and overwhelmed, but Tony had quickly taken over and helped him through it by diverting attention back to himself. It didn’t seem like he going to have to do that for his daughter though.

 

“You guys good now?” Ella asked the crowd, speaking for the first time, and it was interesting to watch as they seemed to be enamored with the young woman immediately. “I get that it’s a little bit of a shock, but really, it’s not _that_ surprising to find out Tony Stark had a kid secreted away, right?” The way she said it was like she was sharing some sort of inside joke with them all, leaning forward on the podium, her lips turned up in a playful grin. “I’ve read my fair share of the things you’ve all written about him before, y’know?”

 

Steve could barely take his eyes away from watching the rest of the press conference play out as Ella continued to flawlessly play the crowd, looking all the world as comfortable doing this as she had just yesterday ranting about the coffee machine in the meeting room they were using. Between her, Tony, and Miss Potts the reporters were all succinctly taken care of.

 

 

There was a quick section where Ella and Tony took turns explaining the logistics and reasoning behind how Ella had been hidden away for so long. The basics were that they’d simply not _known_ until a couple of years ago. Ella’s mother had died when she was young, which left her to float around in the system with her mother’s surname for years. They probably still would’ve never known each other if not for the fact that Ella was a bone marrow donor and Tony had needed a donor during the removal of the ARC from his chest. They didn’t linger on it for too long, considering it was a part of Tony’s life that he was remarkably private about, but the explanation was there, and it sounded solid. They even showed a few photos of a young Ella, from a small girl with too-big brown eyes to a budding woman at her high school graduation. For all that Steve had wondered at the legitimacy of the situation he had to admit that they were doing a damn good job of making it seem real.

 

Questions were either answered to deflected in such a way that Steve wasn’t even sure if anyone realized they hadn’t been answered. It was impressive and slightly terrifying, because some of the things Ella answered sounded like they should’ve come straight from Tony’s mouth. Sure, they probably practiced this for who knows how long, but it was still a bit unnerving to watch.

 

“Miss Stark, I can’t help but to notice you’ve yet to tell us your age.” The reporter was both daring and youthful, but he was woefully underprepared to tackle a press conference like this. Steve felt for the kid. “It’s obvious that you’re not exactly fresh out of school, after all.”

 

Ella’s brow went up at the exact same time Tony’s did, but Tony was the only one who looked amused by the question. He was quietly sniggering by her side and didn’t stop even as she elbowed him in the ribs. “How observant of you,” she drawled out as she did her best to ignore her father, “I’m twenty-eight, but don’t let it fool you. Between myself and the old man over here _I’m_ the one with all the maturity.”

 

“I’d like it on the record that I am _mortally_ offended by that.” Tony leaned across her to speak into the mic before she beat him back away again.

 

The next reporter wasn’t exactly any better. “Miss Stark, you mentioned before that you had previously gone under your mother’s surname? Is there a reason for the change?”

 

“Well, I’d never really felt particularly attached to it, and we figured it’d be easier for everyone if I just went through with the change,” Ella answered with a smile, answering without _really_ answering the question.

 

“My question is for Mr. Stark?” The next reporter was a blonde woman with a pair of sharp eyes, holding a pen up to catch their attention. “Does this mean Ella Stark is the new heiress for Stark Industries? Will she be taking your place when you retire?”

 

“Well, it’s good to see you too, Christine,” Tony greeted the woman, “And the answer is no. To both. Ella isn’t interested in taking over the business and it’s like pulling teeth to convince her to touch any of my money, which lemme tell ya, it’s _weird_. I’m not used to people _not_ taking my money. But I get it—she’s made her own way to get where she is. She’s got a good job and makes her own money. She’s a good kid.”

 

“You big sap,” Ella teased from beside him, reclaiming the position at the mic. The fact that there was only one was weird, but it kept the two Starks close enough together that it was difficult to not see how obviously related they were. “We only have time for a couple more questions.”

 

“You’ve taken a big step back from Iron Man in recent years, Mr. Stark, will you be picking him back up again? Or will Miss Stark be taking over the mantle? And I think we all want to know—what is going on with the rogue Avengers? They’ve been back in the states for a week, but it’s been total radio silence.”

 

The Starks shared a look with one another, apparently speaking in a silent language that no one else (other than Potts and maybe Rhodes) understood before Tony shrugged and leaned forward to the mic again. “Only time can tell. As much as I loathe to admit it, even I can’t foresee the future.”

 

“And that was more than a couple of questions, so that means our time is up,” Ella slid in right behind him, smiling as they pulled a smooth one-two maneuver to end the conference before they had to start answering any questions that they didn’t want to. Potts stepped back up to take over for them as they took a step back, and the transition was seamless. Steve was honestly expecting a lot more out of that, but a quick glance around the room told him that he may have been the only one.

 

On the screen Potts began informing the reporters that no, there would not be more press conferences about Ella, and yes, there was a possibility she would do a few interviews in the future. Everything seemed to be winding down, as the chatter that had been picked up by the mics up until then had decreased and even the Starks standing off behind Potts were standing like well-behaved children waiting for their mother to finish talking on the phone.

 

Which was, of course, why the entire scene changed in less than a minute. In no universe could two Starks stand by each other, minding their own business, being quiet and polite, without something unexpected happening. It was like Murphy’s Law on steroids just by virtue of the two of them existing. 


End file.
